Broccoli and cauliflower are close botanical cousins — both brassicas, both endlessly roasted, riced and folded into weeknight dinners — but they’re not nutritional twins.
| Nutrient | Broccoli | Cauliflower |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 34 kcal | 27.6 kcal |
| Protein | 2.82 g ✓ | 1.64 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 6.64 g | 4.72 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.6 g ✓ | 1.95 g |
| Total Sugars | 1.7 g ✓ | 1.91 g |
| Total Fat | 0.37 g | 0.24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.11 g ✓ | 0.13 g |
| Sodium | 33 mg | 20 mg ✓ |
Notable compounds in each
When to choose each
Reach for broccoli when you want more fibre, protein and vitamin C for the same volume — it’s the more nutrient-dense of the two by most measures. Reach for cauliflower for its milder flavour and remarkable versatility as a low-carb stand-in for rice, mash or pizza base, where broccoli’s stronger flavour doesn’t translate as well. Both are excellent sources of vitamin C and belong to the same cancer-protective glucosinolate family of compounds.
Common questions
Which has more vitamin C? Broccoli, by a clear margin — roughly a third more per 100 g. Both comfortably cover a day’s needs in a single serving either way.
Is cauliflower rice actually lower in carbs than broccoli? They’re close — both are genuinely low-carb vegetables. Cauliflower’s popularity as a rice substitute is more about its neutral flavour and rice-like texture when riced than any dramatic nutritional gap.
Nutrition values are USDA FoodData Central approximations — see our editorial approach for how we source and verify data.